COVID19: Cross-Immunity with Other Coronaviruses, Immunopathological Phenomena

Abstract

The low percentage of individuals in the population who developed symptomatic COVID-19 may be explained by cross-immunity with other coronaviruses. This phenomenon is based on cellular immunity. Humoral (antibody-mediated) immunity, on the other hand, may be partly responsible for some immunopathological phenomena.

The balance between this beneficial cellular immunity and these immunopathological phenomena could explain on the one hand the low representation of children among the sick and on the other hand the high lethality in the elderly.

In order to cope with a future pandemic, it would therefore be necessary to find out how to protect vulnerable populations on the one hand and improve the immune status of the world's population from an overall health perspective on the other.

This is not only a health problem, but a social problem and also an economic problem such as the state of the world's health system.

Note: Funding: None to declare

Declaration of Interest: None to declare

Keywords: COVID, SARS-CoV-2, cross immunity, immunopathology, cellular immunity